KURDISH DIALECT CONTINUUM, AS A STANDARDIZATION SOLUTION

Abstract

Kurdish is a multi-dialect language, and has faced a linguistic challenge i.e., lack of a united linguistic policy, due to the absence of united authority of the Kurds. Also, there is not an adequate suggestion to standardize Kurdish language because of having opposite views. This article examines dialect continuum among Kurdish dialects by applying those words that were collected in the field of the research in some Kurdish populated towns and cities starting from the town of Pawa in Iran through some Kurdish populated areas in Kurdistan Region in Iraq to Zakho on the border with Turkey, underlining the necessity of a linguistic comparison between neighbouring towns phonetically. This is because dialect continuum might observe the changes between two dialects, and the border between A and B is called the area of the continuum. The question is that would the continuum area between main Kurdish dialects have ability to represent standard Kurdish, and would it resolve the standardization issue between both Sorani and Kurmanji dialects?

Keywords

• Kurdish language, Dialect continuum, Kurdish dialects, Standard

KURDISH DIALECT CONTINUUM, AS A STANDARDIZATION SOLUTION

Öz

Kurdish is a multi-dialect language, and has faced a linguistic challenge i.e., lack of a
united linguistic policy, due to the absence of united authority of the Kurds. Also, there is not
an adequate suggestion to standardize Kurdish language because of having opposite views.
This article examines dialect continuum among Kurdish dialects by applying those words that
were collected in the field of the research in some Kurdish populated towns and cities starting
from the town of Pawa in Iran through some Kurdish populated areas in Kurdistan Region in
Iraq to Zakho on the border with Turkey, underlining the necessity of a linguistic comparison
between neighbouring towns phonetically. This is because dialect continuum might observe
the changes between two dialects, and the border between A and B is called the area of the
continuum. The question is that would the continuum area between main Kurdish dialects
have ability to represent standard Kurdish, and would it resolve the standardization issue
between both Sorani and Kurmanji dialects?

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kurdish language

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